Skip to main content

tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  November 2, 2012 11:00am-1:00pm PDT

11:00 am
island. and we're going to get all of that to you in a moment. first, i want to tell you this. the reports that got the attention of the american public, american voters, and the spin teams as well. from both campaigns, as a matter of fact. now, that would be these numbers you're looking at right now. that's the jobs numbers here. they are stronger than expected. i want you to take a look. the u.s. added 171,000 jobs last month. but, you know, i must emphasize this, the unemployment rate inched up .1%. that's 7.9%. the numbers are on your screen. so more jobs than expected, but a higher rate of unemployment. both campaigns have something to chew on right now and chew they did, of course. here is mitt romney. >> he said he was going to lower the unemployment rate, down to 5.2% right now. today we learned that it is actually 7.9% and that's 9 million jobs short of what he
11:01 am
promised. unemployment is higher today than when barack obama took office. >> now, as you might expect, the president is zeroing in on the job numbers. here he is, take a listen. >> today our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs and this morning we learned the companies hired more workers in october than at any time in the last eight months. >> all right, with that said, i want to bring in now our chief business correspondent, mr. ali velshi, he's traveling on the cnn election express and also there is john avalon, cnn contributor. hello, gentlemen. listen, you all heard what the president and mr. romney had to say, but, you know, let's talk about the political capital here. who is going to get more political capital out of this with just four days to the election, ali? >> well, hands down president obama because he had the most to lose out of this thing.
11:02 am
the issue was if the unemployment rate went up substantially, or more importantly if the 171,000 jobs weren't created. the expectation was for 125,000 jobs. as long as he cleared that, he was going to be okay. barack obama gets more out of it. as you can see, he's not emphasizing the unemployment rate when he's speaking. mitt romney is doing that math that doesn't work thing again. barack obama said that the unemployment was going to be this and now it is this and as a result 9 million people are out of work. that's just not math that works. i don't think either of them are convincing anybody right now. this could have hurt barack obama. it is not going to hurt him. i don't know it really helps him a lot. >> yeah. it is kind of a wash when you look at the jobs numbers increased, but then the unemployment rate ticked up. john, hang on, before you weigh in, i may have a question for you that you're just about to answer for me, because month to month jobs reports, it is a important milestone by which we can gauge whether the economy is improving. and then, you know, judge the president, what the president is
11:03 am
doing. i want you to take a look back to the worst of this recession, guys. this is october of 2009. look at this, the unemployment rate was above 10%. and in this month, 7.9%. you've been traveling to the swing states as i have, what are you hearing, are people feeling better off? today's numbers help any of the candidates? >> well, i tell you, don, we have been on the battleground bus state tour from florida to ohio. people understand the economy is improving. but the real debate is whether it is fast enough and whether mitt romney could have done a better job. in toledo, ohio, today, one of the battle ground counties of ohio, the must win buckeye state, i spoke to mayor bell, he put it out that january 2009, unemployment here was 12.6% in this county. today it is around 7.5, lower than the national average. that is a measurable improvement. that doesn't mean the economy is going on all cylinders right now. but there is measurable
11:04 am
improvement, and that becomes -- for big debate, romney saying he could have proved things faster, president obama saying don't return us to policies that got us here in the first place. >> but, ali, when you look at the unemployment rate in ohio now is 7%, below the national average, will people give -- will voters give that credit to john kasich, the republican governor here or does that go to the president? >> that's a good question. yeah. that's exactly the question. in a number of these swing states where the economy is doing better, it has a republican governor, so who gets the credit for it? it depends. one thing that has a big impact in ohio, there are two things going on. one is the hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas. so people are kind of mixed on that because both talked that up, but the auto stuff, we're in toledo, this is where the jeeps are made, we were in youngstown where the chevy cruise is made with three shifts at the large town plant that was going to be shut down before the auto bailout. they give obama full credit for the auto stuff and i got to tell
11:05 am
you, mitt romney talking down the auto industry, not going over all that well. that said, as you know, don, there are not that many undecideds left in ohio and a lot of people have already voted. >> mm-hmm. absolutely. i' anaalk a little bit more overall picture of the economy. we heard a lot of them talking today, heard so much of them. let's talk more about that, the jeep -- the jeep comment, mitt romney saying the president is going to ship jobs overseas and these people here are concerned. people are calling, wondering if their jobs were going to be shipped overseas. and the people who work for jeep, the auto industry president said, that's just not true. >> so let's say -- mitt romney takes this ad out and says they're benefitting from taxpayer bailout money and they're going to make jeeps in china. let me tell you a couple of things. jeeps for china will be made in china. that's the way the auto world works. we're not moving american jeep
11:06 am
manufacturing to china to import american jeeps to the united states. so jeep chrysler came out, fiat, the company, they said, absolutely wrong. general motors, have you ever heard of a company which has got a deal with whoever the next president is, come out and scold the presidential candidate the way there is. everybody we talked to says mitt romney is flat out wrong on this. and, again, we're puzzled that he would do that. he's competitive in ohio. this is a dead heat. statistically a dead heat between romney and obama. very puzzling to hear how this is going over here. >> and just to add to that, the swing voters we're talking to here, there is a sense that this issue resonated. the front pages, the local newspaper here is about romney on the auto industry. >> people are mad. >> and it is registering as an unforced error. people take it very personally here, their jobs, their local economy is connected to the auto bailout and stimulus package according to the mayor here. >> yeah. and, john, listen, the president has a tough sell. it may be an easier sell for mitt romney and the reason i say
11:07 am
that is because when everyone is running for president, they can say i'm going to do this. you heard mayor romney saying i'm going to open up the keystone pipeline, this and this and this and this. it is tougher for the president to say i'm going to do more of what we have been doing so the economy at least grows a little bit. so do you think, john, or -- either one of you guys, do you think voters get that particular nuance? >> look, you campaign inoetr govern in prose. he is trying to campaign as a candidate of change and president obama is trying to reconcile that inspiring rhetoric with the record he has to run on, he's making a much more modest case. we're not there yet, but we have turned the corner, made progress, and don't turn back the clock on the policies. it is a different argument certainly than we heard from barack obama four years ago. >> what don is asking the question we have been getting from undecided voters, right? like barack obama, i understand
11:08 am
he got -- handed a bad economy, but things aren't as much better as i thought they were going to be and i like what mitt romney is saying how he sees the future looking like but i'm not sure how he gets there. >> we hear a lot of swing voters talking about the deficit and the debt. concerned about the economy, the jobs. but that's not abstract. they understand that on a fundamental level and that's a key pitch the republicans have been making. that issue does resonate with people at their kitchen table. >> all right. great conversation. thank you, guys. >> i got one question. one question for you, don. one question. >> yes. >> we're both in ohio. it is all cold. how come you look like you're on gq and i look like the michelin man. >> you should be asking yourself that question, ali velshi. >> thank you, ali. thank you john avalon. appreciate it. now to some serious news here.
11:09 am
a new storm is threatening to make recovery efforts worse in the northeast. our meteorologist chad myers is here to tell us how bad it could be. chad, we're hearing of freezing temperatures, what is going on here? >> freezing temperatures are really the problem. and then there is another storm, a coastal low. sometimes you can call them nor'easters, but this one doesn't qualify as a nor'easter just yet. we have a big rise in the jet stream here, where it is nice and warm in the west. then a dip in the jet stream in the east where all the cold air is allowed to come straight down. when this happens, don, sometimes lows can come over the top and run up the east coast of a coastal low and dump a bunch of snow this way or rain or wind. now, this isn't -- i wouldn't be talking about this, you wouldn't even put me on your show if we didn't have 5 million customers, that's more than 5 million people, that's 5 million households or businesses that don't have power in the northeast. and really can't afford to have any more cold air or any more rain or any more wind.
11:10 am
the power lines are barely up there in some spots, trees are half knocked down, more wind could knock more down. these power companies don't need wind, they need to have it calm so they can get buckets up. they can't be over 35 miles per hour. it isn't a big deal just yet. but, you know what, it is a big deal if your house is already half knocked down or don't have any windows or your roof is half gone. that's why this storm we're watching for you would be tuesday or wednesday, if it happens. and that is still and if, still five days away. >> yeah. yeah. i still don't think the story, the last thing has been said about this election and what is going to happen, especially 5.4 million people, 5 million people without electricity and another impending storm, i think we're going to be -- we might see some changes when it comes to that or an update at the least. thank you very much. up next, we'll continue on talking about the situation happening in new york, staten island. one of the areas really hit hardest by hurricane sandy. two young boys found dead after their mom's car was swept away
11:11 am
in the floodwaters. now the man accused of refusing to help that family, well, he speaks out right now. stick around. that story is next. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi® card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts. more events. more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with a citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]
11:12 am
[ male announcer ] get more access with a citi card. dad vo: ok, time for bed, kiddo. lights out. ♪ (sirens)
11:13 am
(train horn) ♪ vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke.
11:14 am
all right, this is just in to cnn. new york city marathon set to go ahead this weekend. it is going to go. but anger is mounting with fears it is going to take away precious resources from sandy's recovery. but new york city mayor michael bloomberg is -- he's defending his decision this afternoon, saying fire and police resources won't be diverted. >> the police department right now has to be at all of the intersections where there is no lights. lights are going to be back on tonight. mass transit solves a lot of other problems. we have a police provide those. traffic control resources. it does use some resources, but it doesn't use resources that can really make a difference in recovery and that sort of thing it is a different group of people. it is a relatively small amount of sanitation departments, resources. and we have to have a city going forward. >> so he's pretty confident
11:15 am
about that, but not everyone is. state senator liz kruger will join us next hour, not happy about that decision. not happy about the decision to ve the new rk city marathon this end. make sure you stay tuned. we'll have that for you. an new york's staten island, sandy's victims woke up to another day without power. can you imagine? another day. and with temperatures set to drop into the 30s this weekend, the only thing heating up right now, tempers. you can better believe that. new york city senator chuck schumer toured the devastation. as he did that, one woman was begging him for help. >> we are going to die. you don't understand. you got to get your trucks on this corner. >> 41 people have died in new york city alone and about h th deathserehe stboaten floodwater. gary tuchman shows us now where 'res mher'uvth gostuce the boys were swept from her
11:16 am
arms. >> reporter: you come over here to this tree, and hold to t brch anld oto it and hold on toerons at the same time. edidts, accoing poli, for houshindme, kcked on the the man would netr in house. toodn buse, to, and ultimaty float waters came rough and swept hesonsy. lp what . man in the house thaa cout -- i haarf and i >> y did not seenyes. >> going sta's wre these pictu ing ere. bria what is it like there today? >> don,earelief in the orhood, e bulldozers
11:17 am
so a roiots autng t . mefthforthox india here on cedar grove avenue. and, look, this is all debris offials hueus e sent got completely flooded out. they had to clear all the re idg this oven righter refrigerator, other things that got trashed in the storm. the basement was completely flooded out. i'm here with babu philips. what are the peleelou suffedthrough? >> well, many of the members, they already had personal losses but many came here to see the damage to the church and we are more concerned about the neighborhood, the people who are living here for many years. we see them every day, every week. and some of them lost their life
11:18 am
and the next door neighbor, her house is demolished. we're concerned about them too. and as far as the church is concerned, we have two levels, one is the sanctuary area. >> and this stuff here is used to feed people on sundays. >> food to everybody on sundays. and we lost everything. everything in the basement, we lost everything. we have a small kitchen, that is ruined. we have an audio, video system, you can see those things are laying down there. >> what do the church members tell you about their feelings about the relief? do they feel it got here quick enough? >> unfortunately not. we are out of power for many days. we didn't see anybody coming here with a helping hand.
11:19 am
i know it may take some time, but expecting this kind of hurricane, they could have done better than what they're doing now. i'm not putting blame on anybody, but that's what we're expecting when we have needs. we need something to be taken care of. we are not seeing that kind of help now. hopefully, you know, people -- the officials will open their eyes and come over and extend their hand for the needy people. that's what we're hoping for. >> thank you very much. good luck to you. >> thank you for covering this on cnn. >> thank you very much. this is just typical of the reaction around here people picking up the pieces, doing what they can, community members chipping in to help each other all up and down the street. the refrain, the aid is not quick enough getting here, it is getting here now. it zndoesn't take away the stin
11:20 am
that it took a couple of days now. >> hundreds of people lined up for miles at this gas station in new jersey. lines like this can be seen in several cities across the region. and for some who have waited for hours, it could mean life or death. many are still without power since the storm tore through their neighborhoods. they desperately, desperately need gas to run generators and much more, of course. cnn's susan candiotti now in new jersey. susan, we are hearing of fistfights, we're hearing of arrests, people waiting for hours. i understand you're at a gas station, in a car, are you in one of those lines now? >> yeah, you're watching an experiment as it plays out, don. we are inching forward in a gas line, just got in a few minutes ago, because we want to see how long it is going to take us to get to the front of the line. and what it is like to be sitting in your car for two hours, three hours, four hours, to get to the front of the line.
11:21 am
obviously we have seen some of those minor dustups that do happen on occasion, haven't seen any of that here, but i have since yesterday when we started watching these things happen, yes, you're right, at one point in queens last night, new york, someone pulled out a gun after they cut into a line and someone confronted them about it. but police quickly made an arrest. but for the most part, people are incredibly patient. i don't know if we turn a little bit, you can't see much, because only as the line starts to move a little bit, i know that we're back more than a mile and i know that people in this line have told us it has taken them hours to get to the front. but you also see bits of humanity. we saw one man who ran out of gas when he got to the front of the line, and a police officer who was standing by and some other people helped push the car up to the fuel tank so the man could get his gas. it has taken a ton of patience, obviously. don? >> absolutely. and it is going to take a ton
11:22 am
more patience. susan, get ready. you're probably going to be in that line for a long time. our thanks to susan candiotti. if he they can wait and hold it out and survive this, it is always hope here in america. help is on the way. absentee ballots, right now, because that's what people are voting early, they did something very rare this week for us here. they let us in. they let us inside. up next, i'll give you an exclusive inside look at a place where a few cameras go. the place where the ballot that could decide this presidential election are counted. at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane.
11:23 am
>>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 after that, it's on to germany. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 then tonight, i'm trading 9500 miles away in japan. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with the new global account from schwab, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i hunt down opportunities around the world tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 as if i'm right there. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and i'm in total control because i can trade tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 directly online in 12 markets in their local currencies. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i use their global research to get an edge. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 their equity ratings show me how schwab tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 rates specific foreign stocks tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 based on things like fundamentals, momentum and risk. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and i also have access to independent tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 firms like ned davis research tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and economist intelligence unit. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 plus, i can talk to their global specialists 24/7. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and trade in my global account commission-free tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 through march 2013. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 best part... no jet lag. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 call 1-866-294-5409
11:24 am
tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and a global specialist tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 will help you get started today.
11:25 am
so wherever you are, take a moment and i want you to watch this, because it has been so really much pressure in ohio, because ohio may decide the most expensive presidential race in history. both campaigns are blitzing to woo ohio's voters and to try to score the state's 18 electoral votes. here is the latest poll of polls. finds this, 49% of ohio's likely voters support president obama. 46% of ohio's likely voters support mitt romney.
11:26 am
it is that close. and, of course, in ohio, every single vote is valuable. ballots are guarded and tracked with ferocious precision. but i got a behind the scenes up close look in one county to see how the ballots are actually counted. here it is. in person -- >> name, two forms of i.d., signature, looks good. >> reporter: or by mail, all ballots in hamilton county, ohio, end up here, election headquarters. >> so this is when the absentee ballots come back from the post office. we have the clerks who scan them back in and check them for making sure they're valid. >> reporter: processed by an army of staff, volunteers, and machines. norman jr.'s turn now. a brand-new machine named after the character in the movie psycho, because of this noise. norman scans, photographs, and separates ballots into precincts. >> we start with mail buckets
11:27 am
and just toss them all in. >> reporter: are you happy to have this machine? >> with this many ballots, yes. >> reporter: now downstairs to the inspectors. this is it? >> this is it. this is where we begin to look at the ballots that have been returned by voters who have voted absentee. this is a secured office space. >> reporter: i can go in, right? >> you can come in. everybody who comes in must sign in and sign out when they leave. they can only work in bipartisan teams when they're working with ballots. >> reporter: the ballots have no names. just numbers. so the voter is unidentifiable to the volunteer checking for problems that might cause a computer to reject the ballot. >> reporter: like that one is ripped. what do you do with that one? >> i want to make sure my numbers match. that's important because i could have two different -- i have this one and this one. so then i look over everything. >> reporter: right. >> and i know my issue is right here because it came past the black line, the bar code and into -- >> reporter: right. >> so i put it back together,
11:28 am
and i'll lay it in this stack of remakes. >> reporter: remakes means a ballot has to be recorded manually. but only by a bipartisan review board. this is the last thing before it goes to the card? >> yes. it is actually reading on to cards now. >> reporter: so you take this card, whatever comes from this, and that's what is actually counted, that's -- >> correct. >> reporter: finally, one more backup, good old paper, placed into slots, for each precinct. a quick reference for every single vote. so everything here has to be done in pairs, one d and one r, one democrat and one republican, and everything is monitored. >> yes. >> reporter: so in order for them to put this in the right polling precinct slot, wherever that slot is, they have got to be two of them and someone has to monitor them. so lots of checks and balances, right? >> correct. >> reporter: look, the ds and rs get along in this office. >> we only have to because the boss is standing here.
11:29 am
>> reporter: thank you, guys, for letting us inside there. up next, there is an election day scenario, some describe as intriguing. others call it a complete nightmare. gloria borger, help us out, break it down. our coverage continues from ohio with gloria on the other side of the break. loating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. then you may be looking for help in choosing the right plan for your needs. so don't wait. call now. whatever your health coverage needs, unitedhealthcare can help you find the right plan. open enrollment to choose your medicare coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so now is the best time to review your options and enroll in a plan. medicare has two main parts, parts a and b, to help cover a lot of your expenses, like hospital care...
11:30 am
and doctor visits. but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about unitedhealthcare plans that may be right for you. are you looking for something nice and easy? like a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with prescription drug coverage? a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage all in one plan... for nothing more than what you already pay for part b. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmacies in retail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan.
11:31 am
it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪
11:32 am
downtown columbus now. we're back in ohio, and the biggest prize in next week's election, well, prepare yourselves, everyone. look at the results of five -- this is five national polls. all of these poll takers talked to voters just within the last week. look at this. look at how close they are. note that many numbers are similar, are within a point, 48 here, 47 there, this is just more proof that the presidential race looks like it is going to be headed to a photo finish. so when the race is this tight, election day this close, i mean, what do the campaigns concentrate on?
11:33 am
it really all boils down to, i'm sure gloria borger, our chief political analyst, it is a numbers game, gloria. >> yeah. >> she's in washington. yeah, so it boils down to numbers, right? >> it does. it boils -- it boils down to turnout. when you look at those national poll matchups, you know this, don, that's not really what we're looking at. because national polls include states that are very red and include states that are very blue. you're looking at battleground states where you're sitting, state of ohio, and you're looking at campaign organizations and how they get their voters to the polls. it is intensity. it is enthusiasm. it is organization. you also look at early voting because you know in early voting you actually have a certain amount of control over how you get people to the polls and you know you're getting your voters to the polls. so you want to control that as much as you can.
11:34 am
because in a close race, like ohio, like florida, like any -- colorado, whatever, you know that that could really make the margin of difference. that's why the campaigns are focusing so much on early voting this time around. very important. >> yeah. you're absolutely right. and really that is -- that is to io and look at the ground o game leading up to the election. and that's -- mitt romney's team, president obama's team, that's wha they're ut g.s le- th want ying a.yiwh anth iningteresthing is, what they don't want to do and this is the word they se n't ocaize,sit, their voters th would normally turn out on election day, don. so what they try and do is get what they call low propensity voters, voters that otherwise
11:35 am
probably would not make it to the polls, but if you can figure out a way to get them out there, make it easier for them to vote, and you know they're going to vote for you, then you get in contact with them and you find out what they need, and you make sure that they vote. so the resources are really focusing on getting out these -- this other group of voters. >> this is how i know younow acini noticed it and so did my photographer, most of the people who were first time voters, they come in, they say first time voter, everyone in the room applauds. it wasn't an 18-year-old, most of the time it is 40, 50, 60, older people who are first time voters who are coming in and that says a lot about -- these are people who their targeting who they may not normally get. i want to move on to that nightmare scenario that everyone is talking about on election
11:36 am
day. >> well -- >> that we have been -- which is popular vote versus the electoral college. go on. >> sure. in particular talking to republicans about this, they think there is a possibility that the popular vote could go for mitt romney and yet the electoral college could go for president obama. in which case i would also have to add that the president of the united states would be re-elected. because that's how we run elections in this country. but it is -- it is very clear and it has been clear from day one that the president has had an esierthe eltoe the west and the midwest are these days. so there are some republicans who believe that there could be that kind of a split. personally i also believe that particularly given what you were showing there in the sta oht battleground states, it may take a lot longer just to count the
11:37 am
ballots than we thought. so either we may not know until a long time perfect when the polls close or maybe not for a little bit. you know, days. >> yeah. >> we'll have to see. we could be sitting around for a while. >> in ohio's case it could be weeks with the whole provisional ballot thing. that is a whole other show that we talk about, two weeks until the 17th you may not know. we'll see much more of that. i'm sure you'll be covering it and we'll bring it to you from ohio. gloria, thank you. appreciate it. >> thank you. stay warm. >> all right. thank you. the most important mission following hurricane sandy, the devastation, the search for survivors. by air and also by land. and our jim clancy just got back from a ride along with the national guard, searching for those in need of help, wait until you hear what he saw. ally bank. why they're always there to talk. i love you, james. don't you love me?
11:38 am
i'm a robot. i know. i know you're a robot! but there's more in you than just circuits and wires! uhhh. (cries) a machine can't give you what a person can. that's why ally has knowledgeable people there for you, night and day. ally bank. your money needs an ally. you know, one job or the other. the moment i could access the retirement plan, i just became firm about it -- you know, it's like it just hits you fast. you know, you start thinking about what's really important here. ♪ let's say you want to get ahead how do you get from here...
11:39 am
to here? at university of phoenix we're moving career planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. ln fact, by thinking about where want your education to lead, while you're still in school, you might find the best route... leads somewhere you weren't even looking. let's get to work. so i brought it to mike at meineke. we gave her car a free road handling check. i like free. free is good. my money. my choice. my meineke.
11:40 am
11:41 am
on the southern end of new jersey island is a neighborhood they call whole gate and since sandy has hit, it has been inaccessible. today the national guard arrived by sea and by foot as well. teams are now sweeping this area, searching for survivors. you see them there. jim clancy joins me now with more information on that. so, jim, you were just with the search team, the search and rescue team, what are they finding out there, what did you see, survivors? what is going on? >> well, you know what, they didn't find anybody survivors who wanted to be rescued. there are some people that are still living on the island. not particularly in this area, this area has been devastated, the whole topography of it has changed. from the beach, the sand has been washed away, undercutting some of the homes. hoe water has daged other
11:42 am
we goingunnoing on doors, looking through windows, searching around a house to see for any signs of life. you see somebody might be trapped inside, few mobile homes that were parked up there that are just crushed and in those, they went in and broke some windows, double-checking to see, because obviously somebody was inside, they could have been trapped. the goal is to go to every single house and market off when they checked it so they can ensure nobody who wants to be evacuated is being left behind. but not everybody wants to be evacuated. they were met by one man, carl, and carl rode out the storm and said he doesn't want to be rescued. listen to what he had to say. >> well, we have been here for a long time. this is our home. we never expected it this bad. had we known it to be this bad, we might have elected to leave. we didn't. we're here and now we'll pick up the pieces.
11:43 am
>> reporter: picking up the pieces, what a storm it was. wildest ride of his life. got to tell you, don, he told the story, everything was going fine. he had a big black suv up on blocks, to keep it clear of the water. he said he felt pretty good, even though the river -- looked like a river outside of his house. he said everything looked good until the house came down the street and took his car with it. so a lot of people learned some hard lessons here, but there is hardy folks out on this island, and we met one of them today. back to you. >> my goodness. jim clancy, thank you very much. appreciate that. now this. >> -- hard to be excited about obama if you have not worked. >> well, you recognize, there is comedian louie anderson, he tells it like it is. in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country, but find out why there are positive signs in nevada, just days before the election. >> as this county goes, so go
11:44 am
goes -- ♪ [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean. with tide pods. a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans. brightens. and fights stains just one removes more stains than the 6 next leading pacs combined pop in. stand out.
11:45 am
11:46 am
well, four days until election day and the economy is front and center on the minds of swing state voters, of course. on the minds of everybody. especially in nevada. nevada's six electoral votes are looking more important than ever and the race there, of course, all the races around the country, tight, very tight. this american research group poll has obama edging romney 49% to 487%. people in nevada say they are starting to see signs of recovery, believe it or not. cnn's miguel marquez picks up the story from high above, high above the las vegas skyline. >> reporter: here we are, top of the stratosphere in vegas, baby. as this county goes, so goes
11:47 am
nevada! in a city that fell harder and faster than just about any place in the country. this better be a very close election. the stratosphere, like all vegas, suffered the worst of the recession. at some point you had to make a decision, either go big or stay home and shut down. >> that was sort of the thesis, yeah. >> reporter: the vegas landmark sunk more than $20 million into upgrades including a new restaurant, oh, and that sky jump thing. most importantly, more than 100 new jobs. do you think las vegas is through the worst of it? >> it feels like it. i drive to work every day and i see stuff going on that i haven't seen for a little while. >> reporter: things like construction and homes being built in a place that once had a nation's highest foreclosure rate. >> there you go, yeah. >> reporter: chef rick given charged vegas' decline and rise
11:48 am
by an entree index. >> at the low point, how many dinners were you doing? >> we were doing as low as 250 a night, 250 to 400, now between 450 and 700 a night. >> wow. >> yeah. big recovery. >> this is an important state. clark county, especially. >> reporter: comedy icon and clark county voter louie anderson who does four shows a week at the palace station -- >> how do you spell ron paul? >> reporter: -- says the city is struggling back, but he knows just how torn the country is. >> i think it is hard to be excited about obama if you have not worked. and i love obama. i understand the appeal of romney and in this situation. >> reporter: like voters everywhere, he's tired of the campaign. >> obama has been here more than celine dionne has. >> reporter: but hopeful that results, not politics, tops the agenda come january. >> if we have the great country we had once, this is not going to be a democrat or republican thing. this is going to be an every single american thing.
11:49 am
>> reporter: all right, so, miguel marquez joins us now. miguel, i told you many times ago to jump off a bridge and you never did it. but you went and jumped off a building. >> well, anything for television. i'll jump off a -- i'll climb a mountain for cnn, jump off a perfectly good building for cnn. >> oh, my gosh. listen, let's get down to business, brown noser, nevada is feeling a bit more optimistic, but the unemployment rate is still so high there. are there really signs of broader growth? >> reporter: there are. it is stunning that the president has held on to a lead, a slim lead in this state as he has because the unemployment is so bad. 12.3% in clark county, 11.8% in nevada. the worst in the nation. not only here at the stratosphere but there are buildings across town that have been stopped, the construction stopped for more than a year now. they're starting to start up again. the one big statistic i heard,
11:50 am
which is a tiny statistic, the housing prices here. since 2007, they have gone down. in the last month, they went up by 1%. and that, for people in the housing market here, is huge. don? >> miguel, in all seriousness, great report. it makes a viewer watch. really good. thank you. i appreciate you joining us. miguel marquez. cnn gets an underground look at the nation's busiest transportation system. have you ever been underground the new york city subway system. it is amazing. some parts are currently under water. why it could take months, months for recovery. at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies. that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane.
11:51 am
>>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. but what about your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles in just one week.
11:52 am
why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®.
11:53 am
millions, of course, still recovering from superstorm sandy, it left many with damaged homes no food, power, and much more. but transportation in cities throughout the northeast, a nightmare right now, and in the
11:54 am
case of new york city subway system, of course, it is a nightmare as well. heavily damaged. and we all know how much new yorkers and tourts rely on that subway system just to get around. jason carol got a chilling tour of southbury station you're looking at right now. he is covering that story and here is his conversation with a chief infrastructure officer. >> the complex itself will require significant rehabilitation due to the damage from the storm. the infrasucture. thelectric syste, the fare collecsytion em the riding systems, the stairways, the ventilation systems, the elevators, escalators, they're all pretty much ruined from the water damage from the surge damage. just follow my same footsteps. believe it or not, these timbers washed in from the ocean or the bay. >> this did right here?
11:55 am
this timber right here. >> absolutely. >> this washed in from -- >> washed in from the tidal surge. >> incble tohin a subway station. >> one of our newest subway stations. >> were you able to -- obviously you were able to pump out a lot of the water from where we are right now because it is dry. >> it is dry to this level. but we'll take a quick look over there at the stairway where it goes down to the terminal station and you'll see the water level, where it stands today. >> this says it all too, you look at what is left of this over here. >> this is the finished surface wall with tile surface. you see it washed out from the wall coming down the stairway. so that's the level of water. that's -- this is completely flooded all the way down to the platform level and the tracks where you would typically go down and get on the train. another level down. >> at one point the water is up
11:56 am
where we were standing here because you can tell where the steps are rusted. >> yes, at this very level the water was about -- we pumped out about 15 feet so far. >> okay. so you've pumped 15 feet out. 15 feet you've already pumped. wow, okay. >> unbelievable. jason carol there, that officer by the way told jason it could be months before that station opens again. so we're here in ohio today, and at any minute now, mitt romney expected to speak, also live in ohio. but we're about to take you on a battleground state blitz here on cnn from the state each campaign wants. if you think running a restaurant is hard, try running four. fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business.
11:57 am
this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. what if there was a new that focused less on feesy and more... on what matters? maybe your bank account is taking too much time and maybe it's costing too much money. introducing bluebird by american express and walmart. your alternative to checking and debit. it's loaded with features, not fees. because we think your money should stay where it belongs. with you. the value you expect. the service you deserve. it feels good to bluebird. get it at your local walmart. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain.
11:58 am
imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta.
11:59 am
imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. on gasoline. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ it is the top of the hour, everyone. i'm don lemon. thank you for joining us. this is cnn special coverage of the final battleground. i'm coming to you live in downtown columbus, ohio, the state that has become the biggest prize in this presidential election.
12:00 pm
with four days left, of course, the candidates are moving at a frantic pace throughout the show, though, we're going to be taking you on a battleground state blitz, revealing their strategy, bringing you their last minute arguments, plus, we're staying on the crisis across the northeast as gas lines become scarce after sandy, as gas becomes scarce after sandy and folks beg for help in places like staten island and beyond. and we'll get to all of that in a moment. first, the report that has got the attention of the american voters and the spin team as well from both campaigns. those new jobs numbers, that's what i'm talking about. they just came out today, and this is what they look like. during october, the u.s. added 171,000 new jobs, but the jobless rate inched up .1% to fm8%, of course. analysis on that in a moment. first, we got to wondering, what does this mean inl those important swing states? so we dispatched our reporters,
12:01 pm
to florida, to iowa, wisconsin, nevada, and colorado, and, ur, . we begin in the battlegrou rrella.orida with cnn's john y jo nber on e. d alreadhe flo veryvery long,d a peti, trow is ty,hesar of pceitsn a the ong wie in jobs florida is the construction industry, very hard hit. particularly in home building. there are so many foreclosed homes out there, the glut of the market there still hasn't absorbed those homes and if you go up the coast, just three hours up to the kennedy space center, coincidentally today the last of the three space shuttles being retired, shuttle "atlantis." that program ending just at one company alone, united space alliance, more than 4,000 skilled workers have lost their jobs. >> well, the economic numbers here in iowa tell a pretty good story for president obama. you've got 5.2% unemployment
12:02 pm
here that is far below the national average of 7.9%. you have robust farming or re iais hel l bsurpassed th ate. esident. ul in and seeing ac te ste re.among m people we have talked to here about thebi long-term, wha for. when it comes tojobs, that top erhaelsehowever, e say, look, t n getting enough hours, we only have part time work. so there is still a jobs concern here, but i would say it is surpassed by the deficit concern. >> here in wisconsin, it is all about jobs. the unemployment rate has covered around 7% for the last six months, below the national average. but it has been stagnant, good news and bad news in this state. this is the recession. 170,000 total jobs were lost during the recession. and only about 10% of them have been replenished. some days there is good news, some days there is bad news.
12:03 pm
recently. just last week there was bad news in the middle of the state in oshkosh, wisconsin, a company by the name of oshkosh defense, they make military vehicles, they announced they will be laying off 450 full time united autoworker employees. that will hit that very small region in the middle of the state very hard. president obama was in that area yesterday. governor romney is here in the milwaukee area today. kete happened in gree throughout the entire state, but you can imagine that the folks who are tied to the defense contracts will be leaning towards mney because it hits home for them. bottom line here in wisconsin, like many other states across this coury, jobs is the number one issue. >> the recovery here in nevada has beenott pl ithe country. 11.8% here in clark county. 12.3%. we're on top of the stratosphere here. this hotel and casino has poured more than $20 million into
12:04 pm
renovations in the last couple of years. they are optimistic that things are going to get better. they even added jobs, more than 100 in the last couple of months. and there are others smaller signs that things are getting better. that's the strip behind me, the big blue building to the left, that's 70% completed for more than a year. it cost $2.9 billion to get to this point so far. and it looks like they're going to get back to construction in the not too distant future. so people across nevada and here in las vegas hopeful that they're through the worst of it and better times are to come. >> here in colorado, the number one issue is very much jobs. the talk to the registered independent voters and it gets a little more personal, it is about my job. here in the state of colorado, key swing state, a third of the voters are democrat, a third republican, a third registered independent. the unemployment rate in the state is about at the national average, 8%. so we drove it down a little bit further, we went into the key
12:05 pm
swing state to key counties talking to the key demographics. suburban women and what they tell us is it is very personal, it is about job security and who they vote for is going to depend on how they feel that person will lead to security in their jobs for the next four years. who is that person going to be? and how is he going to affect what i put on my kitchen table? then we talked to college students, those college students say they were so enthusiastic four years ago, but this year is very much a different game in part because they're not convinced that when they graduate, that they will have a job at graduation time. so, here in colorado, you talk to the registered independents and it is about jobs, but it is much more about my job. don? we're going to drill down in ohio, more in this broadcast. i'm live from ohio now. okay. let's talk about the new jobs
12:06 pm
report. it is out just this morning. i want you to take a look at those numbers again. we can put them up on the screen. there they are. nationwide employers added 171,000 jobs. but the unemployment rate inched up a tenth of a point to 7.9%. we have with views of these numbers from the campaign trail today. first, we're going to hear from mitt romney. >> he said he was going to lower the unemployment rate, down to 5.2% right now. today we learned that it is actually 7.9%, and that's 9 million jobs short of what he promised. unemployment is higher today than when barack obama took office. >> all right, now from the other side, the president, zeer yoeg zeroing in on the numbers today. listen. >> today our businesses created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. and this morning we learned the companies hired more workers in october than at anytime in the last eight months. >> okay.
12:07 pm
now to someone who can talk about all of this for us, break it down. jill schlessinger is the editor at large at cbs money watch.com. good to see you. thank you for joining us here to help us with this. you heard the candidates weigh in. how would you characterize today's reports, beyond what the rhetoric of what they say about it? >> first, let me say they're both sort of right. so each side has a point. but when you look at this report, i was so elated this morning, 171,000 is more jobs than we thought were going to be create the crea created. we thought there would be 125,000. you talked about the unemployment rate. let's discuss why it went up. it went up because we had a few more people, that re-entered the workforce, looking for jobs. that means they feel optimistic they can get a job. we have been talking about how people have been leaving the labor force, so we had some people come back into the labor force, that pushed the unemployment rate up by a tenth of a percent and another real positive, revisions to the previous two months totaled
12:08 pm
84,000. we're averaging about 157,000 jobs a month this year. it is trending a little bit above last year. but the bottom line is, it is slow. and that is what you are going to hear when you go talk to people out across the land. >> yeah. and i want to look at the jobless rate by education, because it is also about education, right? it looks like things are improving for people with a college degree and for high school graduates. but for people with some college, or with no high school degree, it is worse. tell us about that. >> well, this is a terrible trend, of course, for young folks. you want to say, look, college is worth it. college is not worth it if you come out with debt up to your eyeballs. they say get an education, but don't pay through the nose for it. and for those folks who have been out of work for a long time, we find that they're having a hard time securing a job. the average duration of unemployment is still about 40 weeks. we have 5 million people who have been out of work more than
12:09 pm
six months. so there is some real negatives that are going on in our labor market, and they are -- i guess this election is coming down to whether you believe the person who was running the economy for the last four years should get some credit for rebuilding, or whether he could have done a better job and then you elect the other guy. >> all right, jill schlessinger from cbs moneywatch.com, thank you. >> great to be with you. well, we're less than an hour away from a new cnn orc poll of ohio voters to tell you about. all eyes have been on the buckeye state, because many believe ohio, many believe that ohio, this state where i am right now, will decide who will be the next president of the united states. and you only need to follow the money to see proof of that. the president has spent close to $54 million in state ads in this state from april through october 27. that's a lot of money. mitt romney close to $28 million. only florida has gotten more
12:10 pm
campaign ad dollars. i'm going it turn now to our chief national correspondent john king, who is in southwest of me, in the town of cincinnati, ohio. so, john, it is very good to see you. i've been wanting to talk to you about this for a while now. so mitt romney is there, going to be there later on. and he is in -- going to be in ohio. was in wisconsin earlier. the latest cnn poll of polls shows that obama is up by 3 points. so take a look at that. what can we read, if anything, into those numbers? is that sort of within the margin of error or not? is it enough to -- for the obama campaign to feel safe or no? >> well, it is close enough, don, for the romney campaign to overcome an election day if they have a significant turnout. a significant intensity, a significant energy event. one of the things that is interesting about ohio, some of the other swing states have gone up and down. the president was up 3, then
12:11 pm
tide, then governor up was up 1 or 2 or the president's lead has fluctuated. ohio has been steady throughout the general election season. if you go back to april, we knew governor romney would be the nominee, the president has pretty consistently has been ahead 3 or 4 points, a pretty consistent lead for the president. what does that tell you, this state has been relatively static, part of it is all the ad spending you talked about. the most disappointed people in ohio on wednesday will be the owners of the local television stations when the cash cow runs dry. but can romney overcome a two or three-point obama lead on election day? yes. is it difficult? absolutely. you're in a critical area. in columbus, the president needs the union government workers, the african-americans in that city. governor romney has to do better in the suburbs than john mccain did. in cleveland, the president gets a huge boost from the democrats, minority voters and cuyahoga county, like county, the suburbs, key battleground there. i'm back here in the cincinnati area, like to retrace steps from prior campaigns.
12:12 pm
when you came here late in 2004, you could tell the scene was out of the kerry campaign and the george w. bush was starting to take off. four years ago, hamilton county, normally republican, has to be republican for romney to win. when you came here four years ago, no doubt mccain campaign was on life support and the president carried this county four years ago. so in going around this morning, i can tell you this, both sides are working extra hard, the obama campaign concedes the romney campaign is doing much better than the mccain campaign. governor romney will be in this area, not cincinnati, but to the north of here tonight. we're told republicans expect some 35,000 people at that rally. if that kind of a number shows up, let's get ready for a long count in ohio. >> oh, yeah. i've been going around the state, you're here. and it is get out the vote, get out the vote early, early, early. that's what both sides are focusing on. you're right. the republicans here are extremely organized and are really motivated this time because they know what happened back in 2008. early voting, i've been watching
12:13 pm
it, what about what you've seen in the same state where i am, do you think it is going to exceed 2008 numbers? >> yes. though there was a dip in cuyahoga county after the storm. the day of voting, for a couple of days, a little below what it was in 2008. overall across the state, both parties think that it will exceed. obama campaign thinks ts a key asset. our goal is to be closer to the president than the mccain campaign was four years ago. i will tell you this, you visit the campaign headquarters, you can early vote in this state through monday. so the campaigns are calling people, they called yesterday or the day before, and they said, you know, they say they called your house, don, are you going to vote, they say yes, you say when, early vote in the morning. then they go down to the early voting places and they're getting the list of people who voted and they're calling back the people who said they were going to vote but haven't shown up yet because they want to get as many early voters in the bank so that on election day, they can go out for those -- to make the last minute push for every last vote.
12:14 pm
so it is remarkable the amount of technology and the data available to all the campaigns. if you promised them you go to early vote and haven't, they are going to dog you until you do. >> yes, we witnessed that. john, thank you. john from cincinnati. john, to show you how important this is, mitt romney also in ohio, we're going to go to aetna and listen in. >> 5 million jobs short. those are real americans. can't find work. 23 million in all can't find work or can't find work that is up to their needs, only finding part time work. this is a critical time. the president was a president who took office with the economy as the number one challenge. and, you know, he's got a higher unemployment today than when he took office. think of that. the president of the united states presides over a nation under his leadership where unemployment is higher than the day he took office. and, of course, he said he was going to save social security and medicare because they were headed to insolvency. what has happened instead, he
12:15 pm
made no effort to save either one. and in fact, he took $716 billion from medicare to pay for obama care. and then he said he was going to lower the cost of your health insurance. by $2,500 a family by now. instead it has gone up by $3,000 a family. and gasoline prices, they're also up by $2,000 a family. and then, of course, he said he was going to work across the aisle. on the most important issues that america faces. the last time the president met with either the republican leader of the house or the republican leader of the senate to talk about jobs or the economy or the deficit was in july. all right. so this is a president who has promised a lot of things, but his record is very different than the promises. instead of building the bridges we needed in america, he built a broader and broader divide. and i have a very different
12:16 pm
approach. i recognize this president is, again, making new promises. and these are promises he can't keep, just like the last ones, because he says he's going to keep us in the same path we're on. and one thing we know is if we stay in this same path, $16 trillion in debt will become $20 trillion in debt, we know that high unemployment today will be high unemployment over the next four years, we recognize that take home pay will continue to decline. we'll see stagnant wage growth. we know he will devastate the military, his secretary of defense said in fact the trillion dollars in cuts to the military, those trillion dollars in cuts would devastate our military. unless we change course, by the way, we may be -- >> a very busy time for both challengers for the white house. both men who want to be in the white house. mitt romney speaking in aetna, ohio. he was in wisconsin earlier. another battleground state. the president here in ohio speaking twice today, holding two live events. that's mitt romney. up next, the right has been hammering the administration's
12:17 pm
response to the benghazi attack in september, even saying the media has ignored it. not true. cnn has been covering every development in from day one. four days until the election, are voters buying into this particular narrative? fareed zakaria joins me live. so what do you think? basic.
12:18 pm
12:19 pm
at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke.
12:20 pm
ohio voters in hilliard and springfield heard the president speak of, quote, progress. >> the american auto industry is back on top. home values, housing starts are on the rise. we're less dependent on foreign oil than anytime in the last ten years. because the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in iraq is over, the war in afghanistan is ending, al qaeda has been decimated. osama bin laden is dead. >> you can't doubt the cheers, but what about the president's speech? so much said in one sound bite. is it all true, though? let's go to fareed zakaria, the host of cnn's "fareed zakaria gps."
12:21 pm
fareed, we know osama bin laden is dead. but the auto industry is back on top? are we less dependent on foreign oil? is the rest of what the president said accurate? >> don, i think broadly what he said was accurate, with the exception of the first part. let me go to the rest of it. the auto industry is back. the auto restructuring is really a great american success story because it was a government bailout, buddied with a very tough bailout as romney correctly says, obama forced those companies into bankruptcy, forced them to restructure, forced them to become competitive. not something you normally think of when you think about government ownership. this was more like a private equity fund. in the housing is up which is a huge and very important piece of this. and energy we're going through an energy transformation because of natural gas. the one piece that is a little complicated is the jobs numbers as you pointed out a little earlier with your guest. the job numbers are good, better than they have been, but we're
12:22 pm
still trending much below historic recoveries and that is a problem. i don't think that much of the president can do about it, it is because we're digging ourselves out of a deep hole of debt. it is fair to say the job numbers are not as impressive as the president claimed. the rest was pretty accurate. >> okay. let's talk now, fareed, about the september 11th attack in libya that killed four americans. the right and conservative media outlets have been going after the administration over reports that cia leaders denied repeated requests for their people in benghazi to help in the fight. and just yesterday, a senior official denied that to cnn, that that ever happened. that whole back and forth, they say, never happened. so just days before this election, on november 6th, do you think that this will have any impact on who wins or do you think this is just an argument
12:23 pm
for ideologues here? >> i think it is the latter, don. i think this is a highly politicized set of charges and countercharges. i think the republicans have been searching for some entry point to criticize obama on foreign policy. obama had what the public regards as generally a pretty successful foreign policy. libya proved to be one place they could go in, because there was a -- there was a mishandling of the events right after the assassination, the murder of the ambassador. they didn't know what was happening. they got out some wrong information. but the idea that there was some kind of purposeful, you know, cover-up, that there was deception or that there was some kind of treasonous behavior, many of these implications go beyond clumsiness and incompeten incompetence. it is fair to say there was a fair amount of clumsiness and incompetence. to go to deceit and deception and treason, it seems to me there is absolutely no evidence
12:24 pm
for this. we don't know whether there was -- whether it was fair to say they were prepared for this. remember, we have 265 consulates and diplomatic postings around the world. on any given week, 25 of them asked for more security and, you know, you got limited resources, you make decisions you can in retrospect we should have reinforced benghazi. but in retrospect, it is not always as easy to tell at the moment which of those places you should reinforce. so i think we need an investigation, but it should be an impartial investigation, done by experts, not politicians in the heat of a campaign. >> fareed zakaria, thank you very much. appreciate it. >> pleasure as always. the aftermath of hurricane sandy -- yes, absolutely. the aftermath of hurricane sandy, gas lines, shortages across the northeast forced hundreds of people to wait hours and hours in line in the cold
12:25 pm
for gas, for their cars and also for their generators. when will help arrive there? is it on the way? what is going on? susan candiotti finds out next. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas.
12:26 pm
it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now.
12:27 pm
12:28 pm
battleground ohio's 18 electoral votes may be critical points in the presidential race. cnn's latest poll of polls sho s 49% of ohio's likely voters support president obama. 46% support mitt romney. it is that close. in ohio, the phone lines are burning up with campaign calls. i visited phone banks for both campaigns in dayton, ohio, volunteers dialing and talking constantly trying to sell their candidates to perspective voters. it is sort of a symphony of noise. dayton, ohio, these obama volunteers are trying to reach everybody they can as the clock ticks toward election day. >> do you ever get distracted by all the people around you calling? >> no, we don't. we talk all the time. and everybody is talking. right now they all stopped. but, no, we talk at the same time and get the same message out to whom ever we're talking.
12:29 pm
>> reporter: chris cameron and her husband bill butler traveled a long way to ohio to help the president. why is it so important what happens on the ground right now? >> we're from california. we came to ohio because, you know, california is kind of a safe state, we wanted to be where the action was. and, you know, it is really important to get every single voter out there. >> reporter: alina smith is the veteran here. how long have you been doing this? >> about 50 years. >> reporter: 50 years you've been volunteering? >> yes. >> reporter: for democrats? >> yes. >> reporter: and for the president now? >> if they don't have rides, we're ready to pick them up and carry them and put them right on the spot, whatever it is. >> reporter: on the other side of town, from the other side of the aisle, another group of ladies is burning up the phone lines for governor mitt romney. for mary mogan, sometimes the calls are a success. >> can we count on your vote for mitt? yes, that's what i want to hear! thank you, ma'am, so much.
12:30 pm
>> reporter: and sometimes not so much. >> can we count on you for mitt romney? hello? i guess that's a no. >> reporter: across the table, one month call newby angie dodd she's she's said she's unemployed and she's hoping to get back to work. >> i hear excitement on the other end of the line and that excites me more and it is very encouraging that there say lot of mitt romney supporters out there. >> three. >> reporter: and they dial and dial some more. your dial finger, is it calloused? which finger do you use? >> i kind of use them all. >> reporter: you're a fast di dialer. >> i am. i'm getting pretty good at it now. >> reporter: two teams working hard, and changing the meaning of phoning it in. those ohio phone bank volunteers are probably dialing until their
12:31 pm
fingers cramp today as both candidates make last minute stops in ohio. just ahead, presidential candidates getting ready for election day. which means lining up thousands of lawyers and polling places. ♪... ♪... ♪... choose the perfect hotel
12:32 pm
"what do you want from a medicare plan?" i just want a company that helps me get the most out of my healthcare. i want it to be simple. one plan. one card to carry. i want lower copays... and i want my drugs covered. [ male announcer ] say "hello" to more of what you want with unitedhealthcare and our all-in-one medicare advantage plans, including aarp medicarecomplete plans, insured through unitedhealthcare. one, simple plan could give you hospital and doctor coverage with prescription drug benefits and more, like vision and hearing, all with monthly premiums as low as zero-dollars. oh, and i want to spend less on prescriptions. [ male announcer ] say "hello" to value. on average, our medicare advantage members save over eighteen hundred dollars each year
12:33 pm
on prescriptions alone. call unitedhealthcare now to discuss what you want in a medicare plan. i want the freedom to pick my doctors. [ male announcer ] say "hello" to choice. unitedhealthcare has one of the largest networks, giving you the flexibility to choose, and easily change, your doctors. call today. let us help you learn more about our choice of medicare advantage plans including aarp medicarecomplete plans. i want a company that's as interested in my health as i am. [ male announcer ] say "hello" to care in a healthcare company. preventive care coverage and extras like health assessments, one-to-one coaching and nutritional guidance. personal care, like help understanding your plan options. with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare is here for you. so give us a call and consider a single plan that could give you more of what you want, including preventive care coverage and extras like vision and hearing, with premiums as low as zero dollars a month.
12:34 pm
but don't wait. the last day to enroll is december seventh. call now. back here now, live in ohio. thousands of lawyers will descend on this state for election day. did you hear that? thousands of lawyers lawyers from both campaigns will be scouring polling places, looking for any signs of voting irregularities or voter int intimidation or suppression that may be lawsuit worthy. i want to bring in the deputy director of franklin county, the franklin county board of elections here. so, thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> how do you deal with this barrage of lawyers we're hearing about? >> it is election season in ohio. ohio has been through this numerous times before, 2000, 2004, 2008. election officials here in ohio are accustomed to ohio being the
12:35 pm
epicenter of a presidential election. this isn't really anything new to us. we had it before. we're ready for it again this year. >> voting lines are expected, you had great turnout when it comes to early voting, which is absentee voting. it is expected a lot of people are going to turn out. do you think -- are you prepared for the number of people to come in because, remember 2008, the obama campaign asked that some of the polling places will be open later. do you think that will happen, number one. and are you prepared for the number of people to come in? >> i don't think a scenario where we have to keep the polls open will occur this year. it is always a possibility. if a judge ordered it, that's the only means by which you can do that here in ohio. but we here in franklin county are prepared. the 87 other counties are prepared around the state, we have put extra poll workers out there to assist voters, greeters to make sure the voters are getting into the right location, all of our testing is ready on our machines. we will have voted almost 40% of our voters early here in
12:36 pm
franklin county, approximately 200,000. we're hitting 200,000 voters today with still three days to go. >> that video you're looking at was shot on monday, wasn't shot on thursday. that was on hamilton county. we got it behind the scenes look at absentee voting there and just what goes on since the secretary of state sent out applications, ballot applications to everyone, they're getting a lot of people who are returning them now. a lot of people who did absentee voting. new york times talked about -- i don't know if you saw the report, there were hundreds of people who went in and they said that they were not registered for absentee voting, not registered, but then a search showed that indeed they were. what are you doing to make sure you have checks and balances like that where it is accurate? >> we have the same number of
12:37 pm
democrats and republicans at the board, we have bipartisan teams that go through and check absentee ballot applications. we search multiple ways, not just on name, but by name, address, birth date, driver's license number, we put it through every check and double-check we possibly can. if somebody did send us a voter -- an absentee ballot application, they were making sure if they're a registered voter, they're getting that ballot back mailed out to them. >> before you go, you know the provisional ballot, everyone is concerned because you don't actually have to count it until november 17th, right? >> we have a ten-day period after the election. >> someone asks, like i said, the secretary of state sent absentee ballot politicians to everyone, if you fill one out, and you don't vote, you go in on election day, then you have to vote provisionally, right? and a number of other things for provisional ballots. >> that's correct. >> are you concerned about that process around the nation? that may mean we won't know who the president is, actually, if
12:38 pm
it comes down to ohio until two weeks after the election. >> well, ohio had provisional balloting for as long as i can remember. we had it for 20, 30 years in ohio. it is a process that ohio election officials are accustomed to, and ready to deal with. if a voter did request an absentee ballot and plans to vocation on election day, st aprovisnal llot. voteere acue receiving those proactive absentee ballot request forms. we don't think it is going to be a huge problem. even if a lot of folks do vote provisionally, ohio election officials have been through this before, we're ready to handle it. >> you know how to deal with it. thank you. appreciate it. thanks for coming on. as the race must go on of course, but at what cost? at what cost? despite public criticism, new york police officers and fire crews scheduled to work the new york marathon instead of helping with sandy recovery efforts. now critics step up their
12:39 pm
efforts to get the annual race canceled. my next guest is pretty upset about it.
12:40 pm
♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new completely re-imagined 2013 chevrolet malibu. sleek new styling... sophisticated dual cockpit design, and sport sculpted seats. available chevrolet mylink infotainment system. the all-new 2013 chevrolet malibu. ♪ refined comfort to get you in a malibu state of mind no matter what state you live in. ♪ with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme.
12:41 pm
12:42 pm
i'm talking about the decision to push ahead with the new york city marathon. this afternoon mayor michael bloomberg remained defiant about it, saying it is good for business and it is good for morale. >> while we help people, still help the companies that need business, still need a tax base so we have the resources to help people, and we give people something to cheer about and what's been a very dismal week. >> liz kruger's district on the east side of manhattan was one of the hardest hit by sandy. and she's not happy. she's posting this on twitter. it says many elderly and disabled people are trapped with no food, water, and electricity. the race should be moved to
12:43 pm
focus on recovery. well, senator liz kruger joins me now. and senator, thank you, first of all, how are you doing? >> i'm doing fine, thank you. i just want to slightly edit, my district, about half of it is in the dark, half of it is fine. many other areas of the city are even harder hit, but i feel like i'm speaking for all of us when i say we need all our police, all our emergency responders, all our ambulances, all our firefighters, all our structural repair people focused on those areas most in need. central park is in my district, i love the park. there is no emergency to fix the park, which is where they are knocking down the tree limbs, and they're using emergency generators to set up for the race. that's unacceptable. >> well, beyond that, though, you say that it is in, i don't know, are you saying that it is
12:44 pm
in poor taste that you're worried the marathon may take away valuable resources as you said, but beyond that, you think it is poor taste because the mayor says that it is good for morale, and it is good -- >> it is not a question of taste, it is a question of what is a government's responsibility. our responsibility is to use our resources and our personnel to do emergency response and rebuild. it is not a morale question. new york city will come back bigger and better, but not by sunday. we need to focus all of our attention on the emergency at hand. with all due respect, i think the mayor is overall doing a fabulous job at focusing the government resources on putting them where they need to be. but it is friday at 3:45. we're not anywhere near recovery
12:45 pm
in much of the city or the region. not one resource should be used for something that is not an emergency. the trucks cannot get through the streets. we cannot get gas in the gas stations to refill the cars of emergency personnel. i'm being told nurses and home attendants cannot get to their patients or clients who are home because there is no movement of transportation or gas or cars. i have three hospitals that have been evacuated in my district alone. there are enormous problems, unfortunately. i would love morale boosts. i feel we're doing morale boosts by encouraging volunteers to go out and help us with the relief effort and the responses to my pleas for volunteers have been overwhelming, including from people who thought they were going to run the marathon who say i don't want to run the marathon, i want to help new york city get back on its feet. >> liz kruger, thank you.
12:46 pm
as you know, we have been showing pictures from staten island, people there are livid, desperate on staten island, but the mayor saying the money, the money that it would bring to the city also would be helpful in this time. our thanks to state senator kruger. you know, the -- there are gas lines because of the shortage of gas. it is causing chaos all across the northeast. as folks line up for miles, and hours, see what is happening to fix that mess coming up. then you may be looking for help in choosing the right plan for your needs. so don't wait. call now. whatever your health coverage needs, unitedhealthcare can help you find the right plan. open enrollment to choose your medicare coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so now is the best time to review your options and enroll in a plan. medicare has two main parts, parts a and b, to help cover a lot of your expenses, like hospital care... and doctor visits.
12:47 pm
but they still won't cover all of your costs. now's the time to learn about unitedhealthcare plans that may be right for you. are you looking for something nice and easy? like a single plan that combines medicare parts a & b with prescription drug coverage? a medicare advantage plan can give you doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage all in one plan... for nothing more than what you already pay for part b. you'll also have the flexibility to change doctors from a network of providers dedicated to helping you stay healthy. plus with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as low as $2 at thousands of pharmacies in retail locations like these, all across the country. call now to learn more. unitedhealthcare has the information you need so you'll be better prepared when making medicare decisions. maybe you'd just like help paying for your prescriptions. consider a part d prescription drug plan. it may help reduce the cost of your prescription drugs.
12:48 pm
with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare has been helping people live healthier lives. remember, open enrollment ends friday, december 7th. we can help. call unitedhealthcare to learn about medicare plans that may be right for you. call now. ♪ more on the devastation across the northeast. superstorm sandy is gone, but billions of people still feeling the pain that sandy left behind. and here's what we know today at this moment. 165 people have died since the storm started its track across the caribbean last week. and that includes 95 deaths here in the united states. more than 3.5 million customers
12:49 pm
still without power in 15 states. that's from from maine to new y and new jersey, d.c. and beyond. and now i want you to look at this. hundreds of people lined up for miles at this gas station in new jersey. lines like this can be seen in several cities across the region. and for some who waited for hours, it could mean life or death. many are still without power since the storm tore through their neighborhoods. and they desperately need gas to run generators and more. we have this just in to cnn now. the justice department is sending more than 700 people to keep an eye on the presidential election. up next, why federal workers are being dispatched to polling places in dozens of states. in's. ♪ ...mom's smartphone... dad's tablet... or lauren's smartphone... at&t has a plan built to help make families' lives easier.
12:50 pm
introducing at&t mobile share. one plan lets you share data on up to 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. add a tablet for only $10 per month. at&t. add a tablet for only $10 per month. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. i have a cold... i took dayquil, but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't work on runny noses. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast acting antihistamine
12:51 pm
to relieve your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] try new alka-seltzer plus severe allergy to treat allergy symptoms, plus sinus congestion, and pain.
12:52 pm
we're just four days from election day. can you believe that? and the justice department announced just today its civil
12:53 pm
rights division will send 780 federal observers to monitor polling places. it's sending personnel to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states including six battleground states. cnn's crime and justice correspondent joe johns on the case for us from washington now. joe, i would ask you why they're doing this, is this something new? i know why they're doing it, but is it new? >> it's not new quite frankly, don. they've done this before. but when you think about it go over the numbers one more time. government is going to essentially 780 observers or justice department personnel, 51 jurisdictions, 23 states, six battleground states, what we found so interesting is the number of people they're sending to individual states. florida's number one on the list. government sending observers to a total of seven different counties in the sunshine state. state of pennsylvania is the runner-up with five different counties followed by ohio and texas each with four locations.
12:54 pm
and maricopa county, arizona, home of sheriff joe arpaio, also is going to have federal observers. >> yeah. and we should point out the states in yellow, those are the ones the justice department's sending monitors to. >> right. >> so what are these people going to do? are they just observing? if they find something, do they say, hey, listen, we need to get to that. what are they going to do? >> they're watching for specific things. possible violations of federal voting rights laws. and they're also supposed to protect the rights of access to the ballot on election day. many of the places these federal observers are actually going to have been previously identified as places to watch by the court or the justice department. and, don, we also got word today that the justice department is watching early voting in florida. put out a little statement announcing they're going to be observing voting in the miami-dade area. we didn't hear anymore than that.
12:55 pm
we do know in miami-dade there have been some serious problems with traffic and people being able to get in. the lines are just so long right now for early voting in south florida. >> man, it's going to be something to watch. see what happens on tuesday. joe johns, thank you very much. we want to tell you that president obama's set to speak any moment in ohio. and we're back right after the break. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment.
12:56 pm
i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. prand you're seeing that rightno quit in amnow.a... over five million new jobs. exports up forty one percent.
12:57 pm
home values... rising. our auto industry... back. and our heroes are coming home. we're not there yet, but we've made real progress and the... last thing we should do is turn back now. here's my plan for the next four years: making education and training a national priority; building on our manufacturing boom; boosting american-made energy; reducing the deficits responsibly by cutting where... we can, and asking the wealthy to pay a little more. and ending the war in afghanistan, so we can... do some nation-building here at home. that's the right path. so read my plan, compare it to governor romney's... and decide which is better for you. i'm barack obama and i approve this message. to start her own interior design business. she's got a growing list of clients she keeps in touch with using e-mail marketing from constantcontact.com. constantcontact is easy and affordable.
12:58 pm
it lets her send out updates and photos that showcase her expertise and inspire her customers for only $15 a month. [ dog barking ] her dream -- to be the area's hottest interior design office. [ children laughing ] right now, she just dreams of an office. get a free trial at constantcontact.com. hay, viewers. you need to stay put. in about 40 seconds here on cnn we're going to get some new numbers here in ohio, polling numbers. this state is so critical that the candidates are making their last pitches right now. mitt romney's in ohio. president obama's in ohio. john king is in cincinnati of course with cnn election team. and we have people spread out all over ohio. i am here. i have been behind the scenes in the voti
12:59 pm
1:00 pm